CLL and Travel: Is It Safe?

Published on
April 11, 2016

Topics include:
Living Well

CLL patients have
compromised immune systems. Are they at
risk when they travel? Dr. Michael
Keating of MD Anderson Cancer Center answers this question with a common sense
approach. Listen as Dr. Keating
addresses infection, traveling with antibiotics, and whether or not masks are a
good idea.

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Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of our sponsors, contributors, partners or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That’s how you’ll get care that’s most appropriate for you.

Andrew Schorr:

But the point about the immune system is can we
travel? What would you recommend, because we have CLL on the brain? We’re
worried about it. And we’re worried about being in any kind of environment or
an experience where maybe we’re putting ourselves at risk.

Dr.
Keating:

We do a lot of tests for immune system function.
The immunoglobulin levels, IGG and IGA, etc.
And we can measure the number of CD4 and CD8 counts, etc. But in actual fact, the best predictor of
whether someone is going to get an infection is whether they’ve had infections
recently. So if you’re going through
your life, and you’re not having more infections than everyone else around you,
you’re probably not at any particular risk.

There’s a lot of redundancy in our immune
system. So there’s a lot of redundancy
in every system that we have. Why do we
have two kidneys? Well, just in case one craps out. And, unfortunately, hearts
and brains, there’s only one of those so not wanting to be a heart donor or
anything like that. So there are some
things, we know that the air recirculated in the planes is going to be full of
some junk. But there’s no other way to
get there. So you just sort of trade up
and say I’m willing to take a bit of a risk.

I think when you do travel, you should travel, if
you’re traveling internationally, with a couple of antibiotics. Something like ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and sulfamethoxazole
(Bactrim) if you’re not allergic to sulfurs.

There’s a good, broad cover of pretty much most
of the acute episodes that you get. And
if you’re traveling to another place, and you’re really concerned about it,
your doctor may well know some expert in that particular field. When Andrew was over in Barcelona, Dr. Monserat
is an expert over in Barcelona. So you
get the name of someone, and you just call up and say my doctor said to speak
to you if I had some problem.

Andrew
Schorr:

Right. What about wearing a mask? Sometimes, you get on a plane on
international flights, and you see people, particularly from Asia, but not
always, wearing a mask. Any validity to
wearing a mask that’s going to make a difference?

Dr.
Keating:

It would have to be a super, super mask, because,
after a short period of time the mask just gets so glugged up with moisture
that they become ineffective. So you can’t just go and buy some masks from
Walgreens and say it’s going to work.

And I just don’t even worry about the whole
thing. And very few of my patients that have come back from trips have ever
said that they had anything bad happen to them.

Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of our sponsors, contributors, partners or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That’s how you’ll get care that’s most appropriate for you.